Driving Miss Daisy is one of the staples of American theatre. Originally written as a stage play in 1987, (and winning the Pulitzer Prize the following year), it was adapted to film in 1989, and then re-staged all over the nation and the world. Talents such as Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, James Earl Jones, and Angela Lansbury have all lent their voices to Alfred Uhry’s script, but while I’ve heard the play referenced countless times, I have to confess that attending its new production at the Mockingbird on Main was my first true exposure to the material. I finally see what all the hubbub is about.

This All Shook Up mixes Elvis' two endeavors as part parody, part tribute, and director Max Moline, music director Trent Teske, choreographer Robyn Messerly, and all involved made it a 24-karat gold-record blast – the most, daddy-o!

Even though saying that the venerable, ubiquitous Barefoot in the Park really holds up today is cliché, I'm saying it. And this production as a whole is fresh in every aspect – thus, unlike me, staying far away from the formulaic.

I'm often impressed upon my first glance at the set when I enter the Black Box Theatre: the opulent, creepy one of The Turn of the Screw; the enigmatic jumble of portraits and ripped flags for Assassins; the varying, multiple-locale settings for Little Women: The Musical. (This venue's crews find the most wonderful furniture and set dressing, too.) However, the set for playwright Lauren Gunderson's Natural Shocks, the Black Box's current production, blows them all away. I think I actually froze in astonishment.

While the script is completely beyond Circa '21's control, what the We Will Rock You actors and designers pulled off – as led by book and music directors Amy McCleary and Ron May – was visually and audibly impressive. This musical's artists were the champions, my friends.

From the click of the pastry cutter against the mixing bowl to the struggle with cling wrap (we’ve all been there), the familiarity of Miriam's process in Apples in Winter brought an overall comforting quality to a plot that’s primarily distressing.

Writer Peter Rothstein conceived All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 as a radio piece, and first presented it as a concert with nine singers and three actors in a church auditorium in 2007. Rothstein used the soldiers' own words, and Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach arranged the 30-or-so songs, including traditional carols, popular tunes of the day, and songs which had emerged from the war itself. The show takes only an hour, but there is much to absorb and appreciate.

When I first got to the Mockingbird on Main on Friday, I immediately noticed that the theatre itself smelled wonderful … and Christmas-y. My sentiment was shared by a fellow patron, whom I overheard sharing her comment to associate director and producer Douglas Kutzli. I also overheard Kutzli say that most of his job working on the production involved saying “No, Tristan, that’s not funny” to the show's director Tristan Tapscott. But here’s the thing: I wish Kutzli had said that so much more. Because while there was nothing about this A Christmas Carol that was bad, gosh darn it, despute valiant efforts, it just wasn’t all that funny.

While watching the Spotlight Theatre’s joyous opening-night performance of A Christmas Story: The Musical, I could feel the nostalgia and love for the material coming from much of the audience. The 1983 film is an iconic holiday flick, and it was fun to witness this production’s viewers follow along already knowing the story.

If you’re looking for a joyful way to feel a little extra Christmas-y this holiday season, might I suggest Santa Claus: The Musical at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse? This one-hour children’s-theatre offering packs a solid punch of yuletide warmth, and no matter how old you are, I wager you will appreciate this charming little tale.

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